U.Va.’s Center for South Asian Studies welcomes the Farid Ayad Qawwal Ensemble of Pakistan to Cabell Hall Auditorium April 30 at 8 p.m. to present a special evening of Sufi devotional music. For tickets, call 924-3984.

Known as qawwali, this music of Sufi Muslims traditionally serves to lift devotees into states of the mystical ecstasy extolled by Sufi poets. The ensemble, one of Pakistan’s best-known groups, has gained international recognition for its renditions of both the popular traditional form and the ancient classical style seldom heard today.

The performance will be preceded by a free, pre-concert lecture on “The Cultural and Musical Dimensions of Qawwali” by Natalie Sarrazin, a lecturer in the music department, at 7 p.m. in Minor 125.